Ramona’s Comments (group member since Nov 19, 2017)

Ramona’s comments from the While I Was Reading Annual Challenge group.

Here's a blog post I wrote about this topic:
https://ramonamead.com/10-unbelievabl...

Here's a list of novels:
https://bookriot.com/2018/12/05/must-...

And here's a list of non-fiction:
https://www.bustle.com/p/11-nonfictio...

Here are some lists for ideas:

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/15-mu...

https://bookriot.com/2017/11/22/class...

Here are a couple lists I've found of highly recommended YA titles.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...

https://time.com/100-best-young-adult...

I might try to tackle Pride and Prejudice for this one. I've never read any Austen.

Some others to consider: Misery by Stephen King, Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

I gifted myself a book about the Philadelphia Eagles for Christmas, so I might use that here. It's called Birds of Pray by Rob Maaddi.

Over the Christmas break, I finished Becoming by Michelle Obama, which would work here. I highly recommend the audio book. It was a little slow to start but overall super interesting and inspiring.

Stina wrote: "Would Hi Bob! count? Newhart is listed as the author, but it sounds like it includes interviews of other comedians. Though if they're all comedians, that would still count, right?"

Absolutely! Sounds fun!

Stina wrote: "I'm planning on reading Bad Feminist."

Great choice!

I also have a compilation from The Moth called All These Wonders that I'd like to get to next year!

I'm currently reading Taking the Work Out of Networking: An Introvert's Guide to Making Connections That Count by Karen Wickre, and I've added two books to my TBR so far that she's mentioned:

The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer
Friend of a Friend by David Burkus

This one is probably the trickiest for this year. I encountered it in a previous reading challenge and enjoyed it so wanted to add it to my own. I like that it connects books I read, and makes me pay closer attention to any references the author makes to other books.

I recently finished This Naked Mind by Annie Grace, and in it she quotes several books but the one I took note of is The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

This one's not too tough.

Here are a few on my shelves at home that I could use:

Taft by Ann Patchett
Gold by Chris Cleeve
Incendiary by Chris Cleeve
Artemis by Andy Weir
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
Retrotopia by John Michael Greer
Homecoming by Bernard Schlink
Joyland by Stephen King
Moonglow by Michael Chabon

I'll probably go with Seven Lives and One Great Love: Memoirs of a Cat by Lena Divani. It's been on my list for a few years now, and since it's translated into English from Greek, I'm assuming it's set in Greece!

Some recommendations:

The Dry by Jane Harper is set in Australia

Instruction for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell is set in England

Tangerine by Christine Mangan is set in Morrocco

Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contrerasis set in Colombia

Beartown by Fredrik Backman is set in Sweden

I realize this is a challenge for many readers, though I'm reading new authors on a weekly basis. Since it isn't much of a stretch for me, I'm going to try to knock out a classic with this category.

I've never read these authors:

Tom Robbins
Terry Pratchett
Tom Wolfe
Ken Follett
Jane Austen
Charlotte Bronte
Emily Bronte

I know this one is a bit subjective too, but I invite you to think broad with this one. It doesn't necessarily have to be someone you know, which sounds odd, but I trust Oprah's book recommendations, and I'll read anything recommended by some of my favorite authors like David Sedaris or Ann Patchett.

Or you can go with a tighter definition and ask for a recommendation from a family member, friend, or even an acquaintance.

Titles I'm considering for this slot are:

Two recommended by my personal trainer:
Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home by Toko-pa Turner
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, which. my husband has been telling me to read for years.

Holly wrote: "Thanks for these suggestions! Was the only category I thought I might struggle with but after these ideas, I'm pretty excited!"


Definitely don't be nervous about it, there are a lot of great options!

I forgot to mention my plan for this one, which is vacationland by John Hodgman

Some other ideas that aren't straightforward comedy:

Steve Martin has written a few novels. My favorite is Shop Girl. There's also The Pleasure of My Company and An Object of Beauty.

Russel Brand wrote a book called Recovery, which is essentially a 12 step guide for recovering from addiction. It's pretty heavy, but I found it helpful in regard to drinking and other not so obvious addictions.

I can't recommend Trevor Noah's memoir enough, it's called Born a Crime and is absolutely stunning on many levels.

Some others I've enjoyed:

Almost Interesting - David Spade

Born Standing Up - Steve Martin

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Food: A Love Story b y Jim Gaffigan

Sleepwalk With Me by Mike Birbiglia

I have so many on my list for this category! Here are the ones I'm thinking about:

Don Quixote

Jane Erye

The Grapes of Wrath

The Sun Also Rises - Hemingway

The Beautiful and the Damned - Fitzgerald

This can be a collection from one author, or an anthology (several different authors.)

I recently read "Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It" by various authors and found it inspiring and generally enjoyable.

For this one, I'll likely read The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison.

Some others I'm interested in:

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession by Alice Bolin

Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxane Gay

Other recommendations I've enjoyed:

Lacks Self-Control: True Stories I Waited Until My Parents Died to Tell by Roy Sekoff

Naked by David Sedaris (anything by him, really)

Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs

Dear Mr. You by Mary Louise Parker

Nothing Good Can Come From This by Kristi Coulter